On a related note to the post before the PEW Internet & American Life Project published a study about the social impact of the internet on adult Americans. The key findings are not too surprising:

The internet helps build social capital.

The internet plays socially beneficial roles in a world moving towards “networked individualism.” Email allows people to get help from their social networks and the web lets them gather information and find support and information as they face important decisions.

The internet supports social networks.

Email is more capable than in-person or phone communication of facilitating regular contact with large networks.

Email is a tool of “glocalization.” It connects distant friends and relatives, yet it also connects those who live nearby.

Email does not seduce people away from in-person and phone contact.

People use the internet to put their social networks into motion when they need help with important issues in their lives.

The internet’s role is important in explaining the greater likelihood of online users getting help as compared to non-users.

Those with many significant ties and access to people with a variety of different occupations are more likely to get help from their networks.

Internet users have somewhat larger social networks than non-users. The median size of an American’s network of core and significant ties is 35. For internet users, the median network size is 37; for non-users it is 30.

About 60 million Americans say the internet has played an important or crucial role in helping them deal with at least one major life decision in the past two years.

The number of Americans relying on the internet for major life decisions has increased by one-third since 2002.

At major moments, some people say the internet helps them connect with other people and experts who help them make choices. Others say that the web helps them get information and compare options as they face decisions.

The amazing thing about Flickr is that nobody uses the service to upload pictures. Nobody says to themselves “I need to upload me some pictures”. Instead, they’re satisfying some other need in their lives, like showing off the new kid to relatives. Or showing their friends how their trip to Europe went. Or letting their co-workers in on their conference activity.

All of these things have to do with their life, their relationships, their everyday activities that aren’t centered on the Web, but are made much easier by it. If we look closely, that’s what most successful web apps do: they make our offline lives richer.